Public Relations Division

Help and advice members of the public and the Department of National Archives by providing the services required by the public, both local and foreign, to access archival material and publications in the repositories in the Department for purposes of information retrieval on subjects of social, economic, political and historical value.

Office hours - 8.30 am to 4.15 pm
Financial transactions - 8.30 am to 3.00 pm
e-mail and fax facilities are available.

Services rendered by the Public Relations Division

Issue permits to researchers / members of the public seeking permission to consult the resources of the National Archives for research and legal purposes.
Issue relevant application forms and advisory leaflets to meet the needs of the members of the public and direct them to appropriate officers for required services.
Provide facilities to obtain extracts of documents.
Search the following documents and provide certified copies of the documents.
- Certified copies of Sannas (17th century to 19th century)
- Dutch Tombos (18th century)
- Government Grants (1802 - 1931)
- Government Gazette (1802 - to date)
- Information on births, deaths and marriages (Palm-leaf entries 1806 - 1812)
- Land Settlement documents (1867 - 1900)
- Grain Tax Registers (1880 - 1892)
- Vihara and Devalagam Documents (1856 - 1870)
- Service Tenure Registers (1870 - 1872)
- Electoral Registers (1965 - 1992 for Colombo and other Districts)
- Parliamentary Acts (from 1949 to date)
- Ordinances (from 1870 to 1950)
- Newspapaers (1832 to date)
Giving evidence in courts of Law in respect of documents provided for legal work.
Certifying copies of newspapers and Government Gazette from 1976 to date (brought from the National Library and Documentation Service Board)
If the needs of the visitors to the Archives can be met required guidance will be given; if their needs cannot be met, they will be directed to other institutions.

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